Talk:Samosa

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Samosas are also common foods in Ethiopia and many other African countries. There is some confusion on the influence of Africa on Samosas, or vice versa. Clarification on this is necessary.

I agree with the above comment, some clarification would be good. Somasas are an integral part of Cape Malay cuisine in the Cape Province of South Africa, AFAIK they are a long lived part of the food of the Malay slaves who origionated in Indonesia in the 1700's rather than transplanted from people of Indian descent who came to the Natal province of South Africa in the late 1800's. Does anyone know the genesis of these Samosas and those found in the rest of Afirca Htaccess 01:08, 4 September 2005 (UTC)

The beginning of the article states that samosas originated in Uttar Pradesh (a state in northern India), while the end of the article states that the samosa originated in Persia - which one is correct? --205.156.188.254 23:20, 20 December 2005 (UTC)

The exact origin is unknown, but is likely Central Asia. They were common from North Africa (particularly Egypt) to West China in the 10th century. They almost certainly didn't originate in India or Pakistan (and certainly not modern day Pakistan, as one anonymous Wikipedian is claiming). However, they are probably most famous as an Indian cuisine & probably came from Central Asia. They most likely spread to the other country through trade. --Karnesky 02:43, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Could you specify the page of your Oxford Companion reference? I found on page 511 [1]:

"... Important categories of dishes which have a Moghul origin include: PILAF and BIRIANI dishes; KEBABS, KORMAS, and KOFTAS; TANDOOR dishes; SAMOSAS. Rich dishes with almonds and pistachios are likely to be of Moghul origin, as are sweet rice dishes (flavoured with ..."

-Dforest 06:16, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

See, especially, page 690 (where the actual entry for "SAMOSA" is. --Karnesky 14:54, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Just a few things I wanted to bring up. There is an article at Sambousa. I don't know if someone wants to incorporate the text from there into this article and redirect it here. On another point, there seems to be quite a number of alternate names/spellings from around the world for samosa. Someone with greater knowledge on the subject may want to add that info. Oh yeah, and does anyone have any reference for the "East African Railway/Indian workers in Africa" line? I'm going to remove it for now. If we're using presumptions, introduction through Egypt or the Arabian Peninsula seems just as likely. 24.218.25.244 04:40, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Now All Samosa Love Until The End

THERE YUMMY !!!!!! 213.206.144.100 09:30, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Minh any comments to add? 213.206.144.100 09:32, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

-- anonymous

Can i just say that i bloody love samosas? It is no exaggeration to say that they are the western Asian equivalent of the beefburger or the pie - a cultural staple, a pure expression of the human need for nourishment, a distilled essence of the fundamental nature of food. We in the west are a fortunate people to have had them introduced to us.

Viva samosa!

-- Tom Anderson 128.40.81.186 23:14, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

These are very important points and should be emphasised in the main article. I bought a samosa who told me she put her heart and soul into her samosas. I though the fish/offal combo would be horrible, but I enjoyed it. Stevendavy 22:03, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mergers

It has already been suggested that Sambousa be merged here - there's also a bigger article at Sambusac. Either all three should be merged under the most common name in English - Samosa, or those two should be merged together to reflect the Persian/Arab/Turkic take on these things. To be honest I'm not sure how different the latter are to those of the sub-continent, but if they are the same thing then I would definitely favour a merge, as it would allow the Central/West Asian history of the samosa to be better developed. Certainly the Achaemenid Empire or perhaps better the Sassanid Empire would provide a better 'fit' to the current distribution of samosas than an origin in India. Obviously they've come to places like Malaysia from India, but the history in North Africa and the Near East is much more ancient. I'd guess the samosas of East Africa date back to contact with either Arabs or India before the British Empire. FlagSteward 00:17, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What's the connection with Brazilian pastéis?

The inclusion of the section on Brazilian pastéis seems rather tenuous. Aside from a superficial similarity - a fried food item in a pastry crust - the text establishes no cultural or historical links with samosas. It even states that their origins are as "modified spring rolls" introduced by "Chinese immigrants". Unless someone can establish a link, I believe this section strays from the topic and has no place in the article. Mutt Lunker (talk) 22:52, 29 March 2008 (UTC)


I have had Rajasthani Samosas in a Bikaneri shop. And they taste quite different. Samosas-makes from UP/Bihar make them in a different way. I am not too sure this can be conslusive. But I saw a mention of Hyderbadi samosa hence it came to my mind. Does anyone concur with me? Slimmer Eric Cartman (talk) 20:43, 19 May 2008 (UTC)